“Quorum sensing” regulation and the structure of lux the operon in marine bacteria Aliivibrio logei

• Published in: Russian journal of genetics 2011-12, Vol.47 (12), p.1415-1421
• Main Authors: Khrulnova, S. A., Manukhov, I. V., Zavil’gel’skii, G. B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Genetics and Genomics; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Genetics of Microorganisms; Human Genetics; Microbial Genetics and Genomics
• ISSN: 1022-7954; 1608-3369
• DOI: 10.1134/S1022795411120052

A group of luminescent strains of marine bacteria Aliivibrio logei has been isolated (basins of the Okhotsk, White and Bering Seas). Strains A. logei were shown to be psycrophilic bacteria with an optimal growth temperature of approximately 15°C. Bioluminescent characteristics of strains were studied, and the expression of lux genes was shown to be regulated by the “quorum sensing” system. The A. logei lux operon was cloned in Escherichia coli cells and the structure of this operon and its nucleotide sequence were determined. The structure of A. logei lux operon differs markedly from that in the closely related species of luminescent marine bacteria A. fischeri . In the structure of the A. logei lux operon, the luxI gene is absent in front of luxC , and a fragment containing luxR2-luxI genes is located immediately after luxG gene. Luminescent psycrophilic marine bacteria of A. logei are assumed to be widely distributed in cold waters of northern seas.